So far, a number of inventions and devices have been proposed for massage equipment designed to provide repeated stimuli by vibration or pressure for the treatment of paralysis, inflammation, etc. of muscles and tendons or for the maintenance or promotion of health. For instance, the present inventors have proposed the mat type pneumatic massage arrangement (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 450,388), which comprises a mat body including a plurality of juxtaposed air chambers which are expanded and contracted in given sequence by successively feeding and discharging compressed air into and from said chambers. Repeated feeding and discharging of compressed air cause rhytmic expansion and contraction of the mat body over the entire surface, thus subjecting the entire mat body to a wave motion which in turn applies massage to the substantially whole body of an individual lying on his or her back or face on the mat body. Such a massage arrangement can give effective massage to an individual without putting any strain thereupon, and can be handled in safety since an air pressure is used as the massage source.
However, there is still left much to be desired for that arrangement. For example, a problem in that the flatness of the mat body prevents the massage effect produced by expansion and contraction thereof from acting upon the shoulder and head regions. It is desired not only to apply massage to the whole body, but also to concentrate local massage to only a desired region.